The Port of Bilbao gives the green light to Petronor's synthetic fuels plant.
The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Bilbao has approved the three investment projects that will constitute the so-called 'decarbonisation hub', including an experimental synthetic fuels plant of Petronor that will produce fuels with a net zero carbon emissions balance.
Total investment in the hub will exceed 200 million euros and earthworks will begin between April and July. The first facilities will be operational in early 2026, with a 10 MW electrolyser for producing green hydrogen for synthetic fuels coming on stream.
The term "demo" will feature in the name of the future plant to describe its facilities, which, due to their innovation and size, will fall somewhere between a pilot project and an industrial factory. Specifically, the plant will have the capacity to produce 2,000 tonnes of synthetic fuel per year, some 50 barrels per day, enough to supply 200 cars with this type of fuel. The e-fuels produced are intended to provide an additional power option for transport, and may also be compatible with other technologies.
In addition to the synthetic fuels plant, involving an investment of 165 million euros, the second of the projects now approved by the Port of Bilbao is a pyrolysis plant, requiring a further investment of 30 million euros. This plant, the construction of which will begin in 2026 and which is expected to be completed by 2028, will produce marine biofuel and circular economy plastics using a process which makes it possible to decompose substances without combustion. In addition to these two initiatives, two storage tanks will be built, involving a further investment of 25 million euros.
Source: El Correo
